Formula 1’s greatest era! No? Not really but this was a complete change up. 2.4l V8s were out, as was exhaust blowing and high noses. In return we got 1.6l V6 turbo hybrids and some rather…excited…looking cars. A major rules change is also the opportunity for a team to improve its fortunes, and that’s what happened for Force India. While on paper the team would finish 6th in both 2013 and 2014, they would double their points haul. They would also score only their 2nd ever podium and their greatest single race points haul to date, both at Bahrain. This car is significant not for what it achieved but for what it meant. Force India started the new rule set in a much stronger position than the last, and with this solid start point the team would continue to progress up the ladder, 5th in 2015, and 4th in 2016 & 2017 before going into administration in 2018. It could be argued that without this strong start, the team would not have been worth purchasing by Laurence Stroll and instead dropped off the grid, or worse. Instead, they are now called Aston Martin, have attracted talent such as Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso, and as of the start of 2023, appear to have a car better than their engine supplier Mercedes, potentially second only to Red Bull. In addition, this was the car that helped to re-establish Sergio Perez, off the back of a disappointing year at Mclaren, as a strong points scorer and mid-field leader. Would he be the Red Bull race winner if not for the VJM07? This car is an example of the “Butterfly effect”, insignificant at the time but would have seismic ramifications on the teams future.